Harvey P. Lynn, Jr. (1921 – 31 December 1986) [1] was a RAND Corporation physicist and the special scientific adviser for Star Trek's pilot episode, "The Cage". Using his own personal time, Lynn served almost a year and a half as a science consultant for the series.

Rand took exception to some of the jargon used by Gene Roddenberry, such as "laser" and "rocket", because these were devices already in existence in the 20th century. Originally, the episode was to take place in the Sirius star group, but Lynn suggested that another star system be used instead. Lynn is often credited with inventing the term "phaser".

He died on New Year's Eve, 1986, one month after his eagerly looked-forward-to retirement. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, p 442)

References Edit

• The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry
• Inside Star Trek: The Real Story by Robert H. Justman and Herbert F. Solow
• I'm Working on That by William Shatner with Chip Walter